"The Revenant" By Michael Punke (Review)

         The Revenant Review

The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge is a 2002 novel by American author Michael Punke, based on the story of the American frontiersman Hugh Glass.^[1] The novel was later adapted as a screenplay for a feature film released in 2015, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu.^[1]
Source: Wikipedia

Basic Info:

Originally Published: 2002

Author: Michael Punke

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publishers: Carroll & Graf Publishers

Country: United States of America

Subjects: Hugh Glass

Review: 

The Revenant is a good, or very good book. Let me explain why:

The first part is genius, absuloutely mesmirising and brutal! The second part is good, but the ending just lets you down. You'll see what I mean when you read the novel. In my opinion the movie was much more satisfying.

I'm afraid that's all for now, but I'll be reviewing again soon, so Subscribe and Stay tuned!

If you want the parent guide, please either comment or email me at ibibrov@gmail.com.

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy Review

        "The Road" Review

Basic Info:

Originally Published: September 26, 2006

Genres: Post-Apocalyptic fiction

Page Count: 287

The Road is a 2006 novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. It is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey of a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed most of civilization and, in the intervening years, almost all life on Earth. The novel was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 2006. The book was adapted to a film by the same name in 2009, directed by John Hillcoat. (Source :Wikipedia)

Review:

"The Road" is without doubt one of the best, saddest, and most symbolic books I've ever read, rivalled only by "The Lord of the Rings". Its power is nearly indescribable, but I'll do my best.

Cormac McCarthy has already written pretty many books, the most famous being "Blood Meridian", which has been called the moby dick of our age, "The Road", which is probably his most famous, and "No Country for Old Men", which got its most prestige from the movie.

I'm a hardened reader, but this brought tears to my eyes. The sheer hopelessness, and the titanic scale of the world is overwhelming. 

Unnamed man and his son walk through a burnt and ravaged landscape, where anything of everything is scarce, and it is always perpetually cold. Not even theocean is blue, its grey. Every minute in this world is suffering, and most people have either died or commited suicide. Most of the people who survive have turned to cannibalism, eating and robbing people who are on the road, so not even your fellow human is to be trusted; on the contrary, they are the most dangerous thing on the road.

Let's examine some of the symbolism found in plenty in this gem of a book. For example,the road: Highways and interstates (and some minor roads) comprise the setting of this novel. (The characters do stop at a few houses, but these function as pauses in their journey.) The characters spend so much time on the road – and McCarthy describes the road so well – that it hovers over the novel as a major image. The road is a desolate, transient thing, full of danger. In fact, it's probably useful to think of the road as both an actual, physical setting and a mental state.

Before I conclue let me just say that this book is NOT for kids: It's way too dark, scary, intense, and also heavily brutal. If "Blood Meridian" is one of the most brutal books ever written, then you can imagine the brutality here: Its not too often but when it comes its HEAVY! (I'll try to post the Parents Guide of "The Road" as soon as I can, so stay tuned!)

"Murder on the Orient Express" By Agatha Christie (Review)

      Murder on the Orient Express                Review

NO SPOILERS!

Author: Agatha Chriestie

Originally Published: January 1, 1934

Genres: Crime Fiction

Review:

I've read many of Mrs. Christies books, and in my opinion she's the greatest crime fiction writer who's ever been, but Murder on the Orient Express is in my opinion one of her best, just pure genius!

While traveling to Paris, a wealthy American is stabbed to death in his cabin on the Orient Express. With the train stuck in a snowdrift, there is no easy escape for the killer. Fortunately, detective Hercule Poirot is aboard and launches a clever investigation into the curious assortment of passengers, of whom each seems to have a motive.

Slowly, lies get uncovered, and you just go: "WHOAH!" The end solution was absuloutely unique! I could have never, ever thought of it! Everything fits together so nicely, and Hercule Poirot (The little detective with the egg shaped egg) has solved another baffling mystery with triumph! To be quite honest, I can see why he's a bit conceited, because he IS the worlds greatest detective! (Along with Sherlock!)

Here's the Amazon UK link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Orient-Express-Hercule-Mysteries/dp/0062073508

All my Youtube Videos up to date!

        All my Youtube Videos up to Date!

I'm going to go from oldest to newest:

My Youtube Stop Motion Channel!

                        My Youtube Channel Link!

Hi everyone, please check out my Youtube Channel, please Subscribe, Share, and Like, and most of all, comment! Give me tips, complaints, possible storylines etc! HERE'S THE LINK:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNL8FxMUsqIjFaxm20rmyeg

"Dragon Rider" by Cornelia Funke (Review)

                   Dragon Rider Review

NO SPOILERS

First things first, Dragon Rider is not exactly a scholarly achievement, but it's a nice entertaining story good for kids 7 and up, depending on the maturity of the reader.

I first read this book when I was 10 or 11 years old, still in Germany, and read it in German, its original language, but I've also recently read it in English.

DRAGON RIDER STORY LINE:

Firedrake, a brave young dragon, his loyal brownie friend Sorrel and a lonely boy called Ben embark on a magical journey to find the legendary place where silver dragons can live in peace for ever. Along the way, they discover extraordinary new friends and a courage they never knew they had. Just as well, for the greatest enemy of all is never far behind them - a heartless monster from the past who's been waiting a very long time to destroy the last dragons on earth.

Review:Overall, enjoyable book, with some positive messages and role models

It has some positive messages, some people might see them as very positive messages, and kinda positive role models. What is for sure is that there are worse and better books, in every sense.

I hate books, where children take on roles only adults could and should take on, like saving the world, being the best agent in MI6, CIA, FBI or whatever. In Dragon Rider, Ben isn't alone, and he isn't trying to save the world or something of the sort. On the other hand, it could be better...Or maybe not? This kind of story can only feature kids, and not really adults. At least that's what I think.

Overall, pretty good book! Here's the Amazon UK link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Rider-Cornelia-Funke/dp/1910002054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446753335&sr=8-1&keywords=dragon+rider

"The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien (Review)

                              The Hobbit Review

Now, I haven't reviewed this yet, although it counts as one of my favourite books ever! The truth is, it was you guys' fault! You never comment, 1+, share, or anything else! So if you could please just start to participate, I'd awfully appreciate it! So anyway, to the review!

"The Hobbit" is often seen as a children's book, but it is actually classified for 10 and up. If I were the parents, I'd give "The Hobbit" to my children when they are 11 years old, as most children aren't mature enough to understand the enormity of what they're reading!

"The Hobbit" has everything; for the younger reader there is the straightforward adventure, for older readers there is the subtle change in Bilbo as the journey goes on to the Lonely Mountain. And for even older readers, there is the magic with which Tolkien spins his words.

If you don't know the plot of "The Hobbit", here it is: Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep to whisk him away on a journey 'there and back again'. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon...

The prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most beloved and influential books of the twentieth century.

     The Hobbit is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves, in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving, unambitious hobbit, who suprises even himself by his resourcefulness and his kill as a burglar.

    Encounters with trolls,goblins,dwarves,elves and giant spiders, conversations with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent, and a rather unwilling presence at the Battle of the Five Armies are some of the adventures that befall Bilbo. But there are lighter moments as well: good fellowship, welcome meals, laughter and song.

     Bilbo Baggins has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of children's fiction. Written for Professor Tolkien's own children, The Hobbit met with instant acclaim when published. 

"Circus" by Alistair MacLean (Review)

                                        Circus Review

Written by Alistair Maclean

Review:

Okay, I read this book and it is literally one of the worst books I've read! And what makes it even more disappointing is that it is written by one of the most best-selling authors of his time, and the biggest-selling Briton of his time.There are so many bad points about it, I don't even know where to begin.

Nr.1: "Caravan to Vaccares" and "The Way to Dusty Death" and some other late Macleans, have at least some redeeming qualities. For instance "Caravan to Vaccares" has some really funny scenes. "Circus" does not. "Way to Dusty Death" has some cool action scenes. "Circus" does not. 

Literally, everything is crap about this novel; The romance, the action, the humour, the characters, the back story, the setting.This book is just the typical "Americans-are-good-Russians-are-evil" Cold War novel you find all over the place.

Mr. Maclean, I'm terribly disappointed in you, and in this book. Shame on you!


       

What is your favourite book?

                 What is your favourite book?

First of all, I want to apologise for not writing for such a long time, but then I'm soo busy! I'm writing my script, I'm doing Home Schooling, I'm just very busy! But we're not here to talk about me. Today we're here to talk about you!

Today I decided to let you have a say in my blog. Because I've never had any comment yet, and I want to know what your favourite books are. So I'm going to tell you what my favourite book is, then (hopefully!), you will tell me what your favourite books are. Just click on the post, scroll down, and just comment!

My favourite book is "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien. It is just phenomenal in it's description, scenes, characters and all the rest, and I will soon post a review about it.  It is officially one of the best-selling books ever written, with over 150 million copies sold world-wide, and translated into over 30 languages. Here's the link (Amazon UK):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lord+of+the+rings&rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3Alord+of+the+rings

"Little Lord Fauntleroy" by Frances H. Burnett (Review)

                Little Lord Fauntleroy (Review)

Plot:

A little american boy called Cedric is called to his English grandfather, who hates the boy's mother because he hates all Americans, and and doesn't like his own son, the father of Cedric because he married the american woman, and now the Earl of Dorincourt calls his grandson to England because he's his only heir. But Cedric is so innocent and trusting that the Earl of Dorincourt slowly starts to transform.

Review:

In my opinion, Frances H. Burnett is a pretty dreamy author, maybe because she's a woman. Mind you, I'm not a sexist, but women are more gentle etc. than men , aren't they? But Mrs. (Or is it Miss?) Burnett has taken that gentleness to the limit. I mean Cedric is so trusting that he talks to strangers, and Ok. Maybe he does make everyone think: "What a capital little fellow this is!". But one day the last thing his mother would have seen of him would be chopped up in little pieces by a psychopathic child killer. What then? But then I hear you say: "Chill bro, it's only fiction!". Yeah, maybe it is, but young kids can't easily tell the difference between fantasy/fiction and reality, can they? So after they've read the book they'll go about thinking that innocence and trustfulness to people they've never seen or met,  will make them love them. So what happens? Imagine this scenario: The kid is walking home from school, a car stops next to the kid and the man says: "Hey kid, I know your mother and she says she wants to meet you in the wood. I'll drive you there if you like."

The kid gets in and the child is never seen again alive! Or the kidnappers will hold the kid for a whooping sky-high ransom, and when they turn the kid over to the parents, they say: "Show your kid the movie Ransom or something like that. At least tell her/him how dangerous it is to talk to strangers or your kid will get seriously hurt." Obviously I was exaggerating a bit, but the truth is: This book can be dangerous for young kids! The only part I liked was: When the book ended!

Please note that this is not written to hurt or offend anyone. 

"Get Started in Film Making" by Tom Holden (Review)

   Get Started in Film Making By Tom Holden

Ok, this book is absolutely awesome if you're a amateur movie maker. Now, I do try to make movies, which range from absolutely crap to really good. I even set up a company called "Blackberry Productions". 

Tom Holden is a master director. I mean, the tricks he shows you! He says that you don't need whopping special effects/CGI to make a good movie. There's one trick if you want to make an evil looking scene, all you need to do is put a red see-through paper or something of the sort in front of the camera.

This book shows you how to: write a script, finance your film, directing your film, finding locations, getting to know your camera, editing etc. One thing I do have to mention though, is because this book was written around the early 2000's the cameras he tells you to buy are off the market, so just ignore the part when he tells you which camera to buy.

This book is definitely recommended if you're an amateur film-maker or just a guy/girl who wants to know how to make really good movies with spending the least money possible. You can buy the book here(Amazon UK):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Get-Started-Film-Making-Yourself/dp/1444105140/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440952918&sr=8-1&keywords=get+started+in+film+making+tom+holden

My Top Five Most Influential Books 2015

          My Top Five Most Influential books 2015

1. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Malcolm X with the assistance of Alex Haley

2. " Diamonds, Gold, and War: The Making of South Africa" by Martin Meredith

3. "Confessions of an Economic Hit-Man" by John Perkins

4. "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah

5. "Blood Diamonds" by Greg Campbell

(All these books are pretty much 18+, depending on the person's age and maturity.)

"Blood Diamonds" by Greg Campbell (Review)

                               Blood Diamonds Review

"Mr.Campbell tells this complex tale from a personal, feet-on-the ground 

perspective. . . He reminds us that there is no longer any such thing as an isolated conflict that goverments and corporations can ignore with impunity."- New York Times

First discovered in the 1930s, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. These "blood diamonds" are smuggled from West Africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in London, 

Antwerp, and New York, often with the complicity of the international diamond industry. Eventually, these very diamonds find their way onto rings and necklaces the world over.

First things first, I don't agree with everything Mr.Campbell says. but that is rarely the case in books. Most of what he says is right though. How the world ignored the conflict in Sierra Leone, of how the people were killed, tortured, raped etc. in the most horrifying ways. If you've seen "Blood Diamond" then you'll see the similarities; in fact the movie got it's research etc. from this book. 

Some scenes in this book were too disgusting to read. Thing is: the RUF wasn't the only organization who commited war crimes, the Sierra Leonean army also killed innocent men, women, and children who had nothing to do with the war. One of the RUF's worst crimes was amputation. They cut off any body part which pleased them, mostly the arms and hands. The reason for this was that the elected president of Sierra Leoe at that time, pleaded to "join hands for peace". The RUF then deposited grocery bags with arms and hands in them in front of the royal palace.

This book is highly recommended, but as I said, don't believe everything he says.

I recommend this book for  years 18+, because of very high violence and Gore, Strong Language. 

You can purchase the book here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Diamonds-Revised-Edition-Campbell/dp/0465029914/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1439817032&sr=8-1

"Blood Diamonds" by Greg Campbell (Parent Guide)

                Blood Diamonds Parent Guide

ONLY FOR ADULTS (CONTAINS VERY HEAVY VIOLENCE,

HEAVY PROFANITY)

Positive Messages: 5/10

This is actually very hard to say, as it's got good things and bad things. It definitely condemns the use of Blood Diamonds, De Beers, and the world for not listening to Sierra Leone's appeal for peace and happiness. But I don't agree with everything that Greg Campbell says.

But then, there's no book, or movie which you entirely agree with so it's okay.

Positive Role Models: 5/10

Very hard to say: On one hand there's Greg Campbell and all the people whom he talked to who braved the war, but on the other hand, there's the RUF, the UN "Peacekeepers", the Nigerians, etc. who all commit atrocities. So again there's a divided mind.

Profanity: 7/10

Profanity is strong in this book.

9 uses of F**k and it's derivatives, 4 uses of S**t and it's derivatives, 1 of Bal*s, 1 of As*ho*e, 1 of Goddamn.

Sex & Nudity: 3/10

Occasionally people are nude, but only forced and mostly they are already dead. Infrequent references to rape, prostitutes, etc.

Drinking: 2/10

Very infrequent.

Smoking/Drugs: 7/10

Medium Smoking, Very heavy Drugs. All the RUF child soldiers/soldiers use drugs very heavily.

Violence/Gore: 10/10

Very heavy gore, medium violence. The RUF and the other armies commit unimaginable atrocities; such as cutting pregnant women's bellies open, taking out the fetus and killing it, cutting babies in half, and probably the most of all, cutting the hands and arms off of people.

Frightening/Intense: 1/10

Not very much, as this book is non-fiction.

Mood: DARK

This book is gut-wrenching and absolutely heart-breaking, and it might help you to be grateful for what you have and stop complaining about everything when you see what these people went through and they still don't complain.

ONLY FOR ADULTS BECAUSE OF VERY HEAVY VIOLENCE AND HEAVY PROFANITY.

 

My Top Ten most Thrilling Thrillers 2015

My Top Ten most Thrilling Thrillers 2015

1."The Satan Bug" by Alistair Maclean

2."Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson

3. "Destination Mars" by Hugh Walters"

4. "The Guns of Navarone" by Alistair Maclean

5. "The Dark Crusader" by Alistair Maclean

6. "Fear is the Key" by Alistair Maclean

7. "Puppet on a Chain" by Alistair Maclean

8. "Where Eagles Dare" by Alistair Maclean

9. "South by Java Head" by Alistair Maclean

10. "Ice Station Zebra" by Alistair Maclean